Whether for chopping or slicing, carving or filleting, every well-stocked kitchen needs a decent set of knives.

We’ve pulled together a guide to the array of kitchen knives available, plus mini tutorials on chopping techniques and knife maintenance to help you make the most of your kit.

EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS

SMALL PARING KNIFE

A small paring knife is a great all-rounder. Its smooth, sharp blade is ideal for chopping and slicing smaller veg, precision work and tasks such as slicing herbs and hulling strawberries.

CARVING KNIFE

A carving knife is a thing of beauty. Used for carving meat on or off the bone, the long, sharp blade will do most of the hard work for you – simply cut down with the blade then ease the meat away for a beautiful, smooth slice.

CHEF’S KNIFE

A decent 8 to 10-inch chef’s knife is an absolute must-have. The blade is rounded towards the tip, making it perfect for rock chopping and is straight at its edge, making it ideal for tap chopping.

BREAD KNIFE

Another one to include in your basic knife kit, the long, serrated blade of a bread knife stays sharp on its own, so you don’t need to worry about maintaining it. Simply glide it across bread effortlessly – again, the blade will take care of the hard work for you. Great for serving up lovely hunks of sourdough, or for sawing into pineapples and roughly chopping chocolate.

UTILITY KNIFE

Another great everyday knife, the blade of a utility knife is sharp, smooth and precise, making it ideal for peeling, chopping and fine slicing. This super-versatile knife is larger than a paring knife, so is great for switching between different sized fruit and veg.

MEAT LOVER MUSTS

BONING KNIFE

Use a narrow-bladed boning knife to debone meat and fish. The sturdy, stiff blade has a sharp point that helps make precision boning in deep cuts and holes much less difficult than if you were to use a standard kitchen knife. The blade is designed to easily work around bones and muscles that are tricky to cut through.

CLEAVER KNIFE

The classic cleaver, characterized by its distinctive thick blade, is used to break down meat. You can use the sharp tip the same way you would use a regular knife to cut through the flesh, then use the weight of the blade to tap down at the heel to break through bone.

SPECIALITY KNIVES

FILLET KNIFE

A specialist knife for skinning and filleting fish. Its flexible, supple blade allows you to really get into the fish and work around all the bones and is sharp enough to easily slice through the flesh.

STEAK KNIFE

Lay out on your table when serving steaks, chops and roasts. The serrated edge helps to create a smooth sawing action so you can effortlessly slice through juicy steak and other meat.

SANTOKU KNIFE

The santoku knife is great for slicing, dicing and chopping. Japanese in origin, the flat edge and sheep foot blade not only looks beautiful, but is super-efficient, too.

CRINKLE-CUT KNIFE

A fun knife for creating a retro edge on fruit and veg. Use the crinkled blade for apples, potatoes, carrots and peppers that look great to both kids and adults!

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